Todayโs path rounds are on ๐๐๐ฆ๐จ๐๐๐๐ญ๐ข๐ ๐ฆ๐๐ง๐ ๐! This was a request 
๐๐ก๐๐ญ ๐ข๐ฌ ๐ข๐ญ?
๐๐๐ฆ๐จ๐๐๐๐ญ๐ข๐ ๐ฆ๐๐ง๐ ๐ is a type of ๐ฆ๐๐ง๐ ๐ (skin condition caused by mites) caused by the mites of the ๐๐๐ฆ๐จ๐๐๐ฑ family. These mites specifically live in hair follicles, so they have a long and slender shape compared to other mite species.
๐๐ก๐จ ๐ ๐๐ญ๐ฌ ๐ข๐ญ?
Pretty much any species can get this! There are many Demodex species, and they are all host-specific. This means you canโt get Demodex from your dog, but you can get it from another human.
๐
๐ฎ๐ง ๐๐๐๐ญ: The prevalence of Demodex in humans ranges from 23-100%! These Demodex mites typically live on your face, especially on your eyelashes. So now you can think about that every time your eye itches 
๐๐ก๐๐ญ ๐๐๐ฎ๐ฌ๐๐ฌ ๐ข๐ญ?
These Demodex mites typically transfer to the animal in their first 3 days of life, as they nurse off of their mother. From there, they burrow into a hair follicle and feed on skin cells and secretions. Once they run out of food, they move to a new hair follicle by crawling across the skin, which is when they are most likely to transfer to other animals.
๐๐ก๐ฒ ๐ข๐ฌ ๐ญ๐ก๐ข๐ฌ ๐ ๐ฉ๐ซ๐จ๐๐ฅ๐๐ฆ?
In general, these mites actually donโt cause many issues. Most animals can live very happily with their little mite friends and never know theyโre there.
However, in some cases, animals can develop ๐ ๐๐ง๐๐ซ๐๐ฅ๐ข๐ณ๐๐ ๐๐๐ฆ๐จ๐๐๐๐จ๐ฌ๐ข๐ฌ, where their body begins to react to the mites causing severe disease. This condition is typically associated with another disease like a cancer, immune disease, or an endocrine disease that causes ๐ข๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐ง๐จ๐ฌ๐ฎ๐ฉ๐ฉ๐ซ๐๐ฌ๐ฌ๐ข๐จ๐ง, allowing the mites to run rampant. In these cases, the skin become crusty and red, and may develop large patches. These animals are also super itchy and may cause secondary damage to their skin from trying to relieve their itchiness. They can also get bacterial infections of the skin on top of their mite infection, making things even worse.
๐๐จ๐ฐ ๐ข๐ฌ ๐ข๐ญ ๐๐ข๐๐ ๐ง๐จ๐ฌ๐๐?
Diagnosis is pretty easy for this disease, you can simply pluck a few hairs from the animal and look at them under the microscope. You should be able to see the long, slender mites sitting on the hair!
๐๐จ๐ฐ ๐ข๐ฌ ๐ข๐ญ ๐ญ๐ซ๐๐๐ญ๐๐?
This disease can be treated with typical antiparasitic drugs, often applied ๐ญ๐จ๐ฉ๐ข๐๐๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ฒ (directly to the skin) for maximum effect. If there are secondary bacterial infections, antibiotics may be needed to help get that under control.
๐๐ก๐จ๐ญ๐จ๐ฌ
1-5) Sad animals with demodectic mange. Notice their crusty skin and their lack of hair from them itching themselves!
6-7) What these mites look like under the microscope!
๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ๐๐๐ฌ
Maxie, G. Jubb, Kennedy and Palmerโs Pathology of Domestic Animals, Volume 1. Sixth Edition.
Dryden, M.W. Mange in Dogs and Cats. Merck Veterinary Manual 2015.
Photos 1-7 ยฉ Noahโs Arkive contributors Domingo, Prestwood, Lezama, Boosinger/Chang, Dhein, Read licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
